Pollux kovalamicus Haitlinger, 2002

Saboori, Alireza, Taemoori, Gholam Husein & Hakimitabar, Masoud, 2016, Revision of the genus Pollux (Acari: Erythraeidae) and redescription of P. kovalamicus, Zootaxa 4117 (1), pp. 115-124 : 116-117

Pollux kovalamicus Haitlinger, 2002

( Figs. 1–14 )

Pollux walii Kamran et al., 2010 syn. nov.

Diagnosis. Palpal trochanter with 1 seta, Ge I with 10 normal setae, Ti III with 11 normal setae, Ta I with 20–23 normal setae.

Material examined. Type material. Holotype larva: India. Kovalam, from plants, 14 February 2001, leg. R. Haitlinger. Deposited in the Museum of Natural History, Wrocław University ( MNHWU), Poland.

Non-type material examined. 2 larvae (ARS-20150427-1a, 1b), Pishin city, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, 16 November 2008, pitfall trap, col. G.H. Taemoori. Both specimens are deposited in the Acarological Collection, Jalal Afshar Zoological Museum ( JAZM), Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran. 1 larva, Chiranwwali, Toba Tek Singh , Punjab, Pakistan; 1 September 2009, off host (on Saccharum officinarum L.), col. Muhammad Kamran, deposited in the Acarological Collection, Jalal Afshar Zoological Museum ( JAZM), Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

Redescription (based on holotype; 2 Iranian and 1 Pakistani specimen in parentheses)

Larva: Dorsal surface with ~50 (~76, 80, 76) [fD] finely barbed and tapering setae placed on small platelets, two setae anterior of eyes; crista present with anterior and posterior sensillary areas placed on weak dorsal scutum. Dorsal scutum narrow, smooth, longitudinal but widest at level of PL setae. Dorsal scutum with 2 pairs of normal setae (AL and PL), both finely barbed ( Figs. 1 , 9 ). Anterior end of scutum rounded, posterior pole a blunted point. Scutum carries linear, rod-like crista. Anterior sensillary area triangular, and carries a pair of sensilla (ASens) which is barbed along entire stem. Posterior sensilla (PSens) similar to anterior sensilla but longer, situated at posterior part of crista. One eye on each side of scutum, circular, situated behind middle of dorsal scutum ( Fig. 1 ).

Idiosoma ventrally with 18 (18, 19, 14) setae between coxae II and III and 30 (28, 27, 28) setae behind of coxae III (fV = 48 (46, 46, 42)), all finely barbed, tapering and pointed ( Fig. 2 ). NDV = ~50 (~76, 80, 76) + 48 (46, 46, 42) = ~98 (~122, 126, 118). Sternalae 1a, 2a and 3a similar to other ventral setae. Coxae I, II & III, each with 1 finely barbed and pointed seta. Supracoxal seta of leg I peg-like.

Gnathosoma with a nude galeala (cs) and two hypostomalae, anterior hypostomala (as) normal, nude (tiny, thorn-like in Pakistani specimen), posterior hypostomala (bs) barbed ( Figs. 3 , 8 , 10 ). Cheliceral blade with small tooth on lateral part. Palpal trochanter with 1 seta, femur with 3 and genu with 5 barbed and pointed setae; palpal tibia with 1 weakly barbed and 2 nude setae. Palptarsus with 1 eupathidium, 1 solenidion and 5 nude setae. Palpal tibial claw entire with small median dorsal and small median ventral tooth ( Figs. 3 , 7 ). fPp = B-BBB-BBBBB- BNN-NNNNNωζ; cheliceral basis and subcapitulum punctate. Supracoxal seta (eP) peg-like.

Leg lengths (including coxae, excluding claws): Leg I 376 (414–433, 341-421) leg II 336 (346–353, 271-346) leg III 386–401, 321-400); IP= 1146–1187.

Leg segmentation formula: 7–7–7. Leg setal formula: Leg I: Ta- 1ω, 2ζ, 1z, 20n (23 in holotype); Ti- 2φ, 1κ, 11–12n; Ge- 1σ, 1κ, 10n; TFe- 5n; BFe- 4n; Tr- 2n ( Fig. 4 ). Leg II. Ta- 1ω, 2ζ, 1z, 19–20n; Ti- 2φ, 11n; Ge- 1κ, 10n; TFe- 5n; BFe- 3n; Tr- 3n ( Fig. 5 ). Leg III. Ta- 1ζ, 20n; Ti- 1φ, 11n; Ge- 9n; TFe- 5n; BFe- 3n; Tr- 3n ( Fig. 6 ).

Pedotarsal claws normal, anterior claw and empodium falciform, simple and posterior claw pulvilliform.

Abnormalities: One specimen from Iran, on one side of Ta III, 18 setae (instead of 20) and on one side of Ge III, 10 setae (instead of 9). Specimen from Pakistan, on one side of Ti II, 10 setae (instead of 11). In the holotype specimen, the seta anterior to the eyes on one side is longer than the other.

Measurements are given in Table 1 .

Remarks. Corrections to the original species description

We studied the holotype of P. kovalamicus and found that the following characters should be corrected in the original description: scutum present (absent in original description) ( Fig. 9 ); number of setae on BFe I and II is 4 (3 in original description), microseta present on Ge I and II and Ti I (absent in original description); number of solenidia on Ti I is 2 (3 in original description), companion seta (z) on Ta I and II present (absent in original description); number of normal setae on Ta I is 23 (14 in original description); number of normal setae on Ge I, Ti I and Ta I is 10, 11 and 19 respectively (9, 10 and 14 in original description, respectively); palpal setal formula is as follows: B-BBB-BBBBB-BNN-NNNNNωζ (B-BB-BBBB-BB?N-NNNNωζ in original description). Haitlinger (2002) considered that the three pairs of scutalae (AL, ML and PL) were all in soft membrane for the genus, even though Womersley (1934) and Southcott (1961) clearly showed that the scutum is present and bears two pairs of scutalae. Here, we show that the genus Pollux has two pairs of scutalae on the scutum, and two pairs in soft cuticle, as reported by Womersley (1934) and Southcott (1961). Naming these setae is problematical. Here, we consider the anterior scutalae AL and the posterior scutalae PL, that ML has been lost, and that the two setae in soft cuticle are hypertrichous additions. Another interpretation would be that AL and ML are on the scutum, and PL is off the scutum, and that only one pair of setae is a hypertrichous addition. Due to our nomenclatural change, the PW is 38, not 70 as in the original description of P. kovalamicus .

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Pollux kovalamicus (larva): 1. Dorsal view of idiosoma; 2. Ventral view of idiosoma (“ d ” denotes dorsal seta in ventral position); 3. Gnathosoma.

FIGURES 4 – 6. Pollux kovalamicus (larva): 4. Leg I; 5. Leg II; 6. Leg III.

FIGURES 7 – 9. Pollux kovalamicus (holotype larva): 7. Palpal tibia, lateral view (Arrows show dorsal and ventral teeth); 8. Hypostomalae and galeala; 9. Scutum (1000 x).

FIGURES 10 – 11. Pollux kovalamicus: 10. Hypostomalae and galeala (800 x) (Iranian larva); 11. Hypostomalae and galeala (800 x), anterior hypostomala is drawn on the left side (Pakistani larva).

FIGURES 12 – 14. 12. Pollux cristatus (holotype larva): Scutum (400 x); 13 – 14. Pollux workandae (holotype larva): 13. Gnathosoma; 14. Scutum (400 x).